What: Pecha Kucha Night
Where and when: Galatos, Thursday, $9 on the door; doors open from 7.30pm, starts at 8.20pm
If the book club scones are dry and you're sick of Nancy droning on about Jane Eyre, it might be time to get your fix somewhere else. Like Pecha Kucha Night. Traditionally a forum for creative types to discuss their work, Thursday night's event is the first with a theme. In association with the New Zealand Book Council, the event will feature writers, book designers, editors and the "book-obsessed".
The good news for those with short attention spans is that Pecha Kucha is informal in every way except its time-keeping. Presenters are asked to speak on whatever they like with the aid of 20 Powerpoint slides. With no more than 20 seconds per slide, that's just 6 minutes and 40 seconds in the limelight.
Held in the relaxed setting of Galatos, it's hoped that people will mingle and chat well after the speakers have left the stage.
"It's a social networking event," says organiser Luka Hinse, a German product designer who introduced the Pecha Kucha format to New Zealand a few years ago. Now held in Auckland, Wellington, Nelson, Christchurch and Dunedin, this will be the 16th event in New Zealand.
"The idea is to get interesting people talking about things you never normally hear about. This one will explore the theme of writing."
Literary heavyweights Emily Perkins and C.K. Stead will join fellow writers, artists, photographers and book designers including Marie Shannon, Paula Green, Sarah Maxey, Lilly Richardson, Renee Liang and Susanna Andrew.
The event's format is as unpredictable and varied as its speakers. Comic book writer Dylan Horrocks is expected to show an excerpt from his new work. Kathryn Burnett will chat about her work as a script writer. Creative publication Pie Paper will give a presentation on "what you leave behind when you go". But under the time pressure, anything could happen.
"They can be hilarious," says Hinse. "People often talk over the time and miss the next slide. Others try to fit one year's worth of lectures into the time allotted."
Hinse first stumbled across Pecha Kucha when he was in Japan. Devised by a team of architects, the event has popped up in 200 cities worldwide. People spend so much time communicating via email and chatting online, Hinse says, Pecha Kucha is seen as a way to bring back the art of conversation.
"Maybe we've lost that art a little bit, standing and speaking in public."
As well as it being a networking event, it's a chance for knowledge to be passed on and for speakers to indulge in a little self-promotion without being too indulgent.
"Give an architect a microphone and you can be trapped for hours," says Hinse. "It's this global phenomenon of death by Powerpoint. They can go on for hours. It often gets boring after a while."
Since Hinse established Pecha Kucha in New Zealand, several people have reached out to collaborate. The Book Council got in touch because they had a strong membership base in Wellington but were keen to expand their reach into Auckland.
Are book people natural speakers? Hinse says what's most important is that presenters are interesting people who do interesting work.
"Most of the time the shy presenters are the better ones, they're usually the better prepared. Lots of people get really nervous but you can't fail."
Past events have proved to be excellent employment opportunities. A blacksmith scored a job for Mayor John Banks after giving a speech on the art of blacksmithing. Advertising agencies often send their staff for inspiration. The idea is to bring together people who might not otherwise meet.
"You might vaguely know someone but you don't know what they do," says Hinse. "With Pecha Kucha, it's clear what you do. It's good to have one in New Zealand because New Zealand is so creative. It's an inter-disciplinary forum. Progress starts by getting inspiration from others and taking your ideas out of context."
